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Up Close and Personal With Erotic Noir Author and Size Positive Advocate- Zane
I have been a fan of Zane for as long as I can remember… I think ever since addicted and after finding one of my mother’s books from this woman. From there, as time allows I escape into a novel or two of hers and sometimes onto her Sex Chronicles series on Cinemax. I follow her on facebook and became even more entranced by her message and her confidence she instilled to her readers.
After we wrapped our series of Confidence, Sex,and the Plus Size Woman, I thought it would be befitting to speak to the fabulous full figured woman behind the book series and the Cinemax “Sex Chronicles” series to see where she gets her motivation, inspiration, and moxie come from! I am seriously honored and excited to share with you (along with the help of Bonnie Lee), our interview of Zane!
Thank you for taking the time to chat with us! How are you today?
Every day is a gift. With that being said, I am fabulous!
You are known for your erotic novels and miniseries on TV, but how did you get into this field?
Totally by accident and not by design. I started writing some short stories via the Internet in 1997, several people found them arousing so I wrote a few more, and a butterfly effect began that has not stopped yet. In May 2000, I published The Sex Chronicles: Shattering the Myth, followed by Addicted in August 2000. Now I am up to book 27, Z-Rated: Chocolate Flava 3 that releases on August 28th.
What was the motivation for writing erotic novels?
I never set out to write erotica because I had never read any erotica. My motivation for writing is life itself and sexuality is a part of life. After all, we all got here because someone had sex. Too many people have hangups about their sexuality and even more are caught up in the sexuality of others. The fact that a lot of people tried to discourage me from writing about the most natural act in the world motivated me to actually do it.
Before we delve into your work, growing up were you full figured? How did this play a role in who Zane is today?
I have always been a “yo-yo” female so the answer would have to be both yes and no. For part of my life, I was larger and for part of my life I almost looked anorexic. In all honestly, my mindset has always been the same regardless of my weight.
Today, you ooze confidence and self-assuredness, at least to me! Where does your confidence stem from and what influences it?My parents raised us to believe that we were good enough for everyone even if we were not for everyone. They raised us to embrace the differences in others and find the goodness in every act, regardless of the intention behind it. As long as I am content with what I do with my life, I really give little to no consideration to what others think about it. That pretty much sums up the word confidence. I am passionate about my life and committed to my vision and that will not change. We have started a series on the blog about Sex, Confidence, and the Plus Size Woman. What tips could you share on this topic?
My advice is to never become intimate with a person that you are not completely comfortable around and one that you do not completely trust. If both of those two things exist, everything else is icing on top of the cake. When a woman feels loved, she should have no problem being herself with her man, either inside or outside of the bedroom. If she does, then that signifies issues much deeper than sexual compatibility in the relationship.
When it comes to “Erotic novels” or “talk about sex” is still very taboo, why do you think that is?
Discomfort, fear of being judged by others, and believing that engaging in the most natural act is wrong. America is very sexually oppressed, along with many other countries, but there are many countries where people have no hangups. Those are the ones that people travel to in order to feel free and meet like-minded individuals. I realize that erotica is not for everyone. I never believed that it would be. But I am comfortable discussing it and my readers enjoy the imagery.
Asides from being an amazing writer, you also give great relationship advice on your Facebook page. What started this and what have you learned about your fans/readers?Actually, I started giving advice from Jump Street. That dates way back to November 1997, before Facebook ever existed. I started giving advice for a very simple reason: women started asking me for it. Right now, I have more than 5,700 advice emails in my box. It never ends but it also tells me how many people are in pain and totally confused about their lives. As long as they ask, I will answer for another simple reason: I care.
What makes and defines your characters? Are they somewhat based on real people or ever based on personal fantasies?
I spend the majority of the time creating the characters in my books and then allow them to play out a generalized storyline in my head. There is a little part of me in all of my female main characters and even some of the men. I would not say that I actually base a specific character on someone that I know but, like most writers, I am a huge observer of people. I write about what I feel the most passionate about at the time and it has worked well for me.
What has been the best part of this journey and your success?
Easy one! Being able to help others when it comes to figuring out their own lives, and being able to publish other authors who have dreams of their own. But the best, best part is being able to do what I love for a living. There is nothing better.
Okay, let’s talk fashion and confidence… You are a beautiful plus size woman! How does fashion play a role in your life?
First of all, thanks for the lovely compliment. Every woman loves to be appreciated. Secondly, I dress totally different when I am going about my daily tasks and when I am doing public appearances. Just keeping it real. When I was in corporate America, I had to wear business suits and heels every single day. It was the nature of my career. When I reached the milestone of being a full-time writer and publisher, I went strictly for comfort so I typically wear casual clothes on the regular. During public appearances, I play dress-up. 🙂
Do you have any favorite designers?
If so, who are they! Being completely transparent, I have never been into labels when it comes to clothing and accessories. If I like the way it looks, cool. If I like the way it looks on me, even better. If I am comfortable in it, I rock it.
Tying in your work, are fashion and sex complimentary and how does it play a role in your erotic novels?
I am probably a strange writer when it comes to fashion. A lot of the authors that I publish go into great detail about designer clothing and shoes. I tend to just describe the overall outfit. Of course, I have a vision of what is erotic and what helps to seduce a man or woman and I implement it into the overall description of the scenes. But as far as my books reading like a billboard for various designers, I would have to take a tutorial first to pull that off and since none of them are paying me a promotional fee, what’s the point? LOL
What do you hope to give to women and even men when they read your novels?
Clarity! Hope! The ability to love each other without boundaries!
Okay, time for a little fun! First answer that comes to mind?!
- Boy Shorts or Thongs? Boy Shorts
- Chocolate or Vanilla? Chocolate
- Mental or Physical? Mental
- Justin Timberlake or Robin Thicke? Robin Thicke
- Little Black Dress or Little Red Dress? Little Black Dress
Lastly, What does Curvy.Confident.Chic. mean to you?
It means believing enough in yourself to make the most of your dash–the time between your birth and your death.
How AMAZING was this interview?! Have you read a book of hers? Watched her series? Let me know!
You can learn more about Zane here and you can explore the erotic noir by purchasing her books on Amazon!
About the Author
Marie Denee
I am the Editor in Chic of The Curvy Fashionista. Often goofy. Forever emo. Always a Virgo. You can find me somewhere grooving to 90s R&B.
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